J-pop: Sing and dance your way to stardom.

J-pop thumbnail: about 15 girls stand on stage holding microphones and with one arm pointing skyward
© kndynt2099 (CC BY-SA 2.0)

J-pop (Wikipedia)

J-Pop’s dream factory (The Guardian)

List of Japanese celebrities (Wikipedia)

TV Stars (Japan Zone)

Anime: Cartoons for every taste, from children’s favourites to fantasy, sci-fi, romance, drama and even horror!

Anime thumbnail: a female cartoon character with large eyes and massive ponytail tied up with a large purple ribbon
© Maya Chow (adapted) (CC BY 2.0)

Anime (Japan Zone)

Tokyo Anime Guide (japan-guide.com)

Origins of Anime (openculture.com)

Manga: Reading is so much more fun with pictures.

Manga thumbnail: rows of manga comics displayed on a stand
© Todd Lapin (adapted), CC BY-NC 2.0)

Manga (Wikipedia)

Manga and anime (japan-guide.com)

Manga and anime – Japan culture (Inside Japan)

Tezuka in English (Find out about Osamu Tezuka, an early Manga writer and creator of Astro Boy.)

Fashion: Lead the world with cutting-edge fashion from the streets of Harajuku, Tokyo.

Fashion thumbnail: A woman with dark hair and large bow on top, and wearing a white dress; she is carrying a frilly, pink umbrella as she smile at the camera
© Jay Bergesen (adapted) (CC BY 2.0)

High school real talk: Fashion boosts our spirits (The Japan Forum)

Bringing seifuku to the world (The Japan Forum)

Expressing my world through shironuri (The Japan Forum)

Harajuku fashion (Japanese Streets)

Japan Pop Culture Views: Cosplay (Japan Monthly, JNTO)

Taiko: Exciting and energetic drumming performances.

Taiko thumbnail: two men beat the skin of a very large drum with sticks.
© Don France (CC BY 2.0)

Taiko (Wikipedia)

A basic intro to taiko and why it’s awesome (tofugu.com)

Learning new taiko music (taikoskin blogspot)

This is a Japanese drum line! (YouTube – 3:52)

Mt.Fuji Taiko Festival (Japanese high school drummers) (YouTube – 9:58)

Japanese drumming Taiko rhythm from drum tent WOMAD 2012 (YouTube – 0:54)

Kabuki & noh: Japanese theatre and drama is both unique and fascinating.

Kabuki & noh thumbnail: a kabuki actor with strong face makeup and wearing a white kimono
© GanMed64 (adapted) (CC BY-2.0)

Kabuki theatre (Japan Zone)

Noh theatre (Japan Zone)

Noh: What is noh? (Kids Web Japan)

Invitation to Kabuki and Introduction to Noh (Japan Arts Council )

What’s Kabuki (Kabuki official website)

Introducing the world of Noh (the-NOH.com)

Koto: Musical instruments to suit all styles and tastes.

Koto thumbnail: section of a kimino showing the strings and bridges that hold the strings off the base board.
© Ted (adapted) (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Koto (Kids Web Japan)

A performance of ‘Sakura Sakura’ by professional koto player Fuyuki Enokido (YouTube)

Yuko Watanabe – Smooth Criminal (cover) (YouTube)

Shodou: Every word is a brush-painted masterpiece.

Shodou thumbnail: a large Japanese character
Amagase (public domain)

Shodo (Kids Web Japan)

Japanese Calligraphy: How to Write with a Brush (YouTube video)

School of Shodo (The art of traditional Japanese calligraphy)

Shodo (Japanese calligraphy)